LOS ANGELES, CA (January 3, 2023) — The Board of Directors of Hispanas Organized for Political Equality (HOPE), a leading Latina leadership and advocacy nonprofit headquartered California, has elected Vanessa Cajina as Board Chair. Ms. Cajina is based in Sacramento and is a lobbyist with KP Public Affairs, with over 15 years of lobbying and advocacy experience in health and human services and the state budget.

“I’m honored to be elected Board Chair by my peers on the HOPE Board and thank our outgoing Board Chair, Rosie Arroyo, for her outstanding leadership as she guided the organization through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and uprisings against racial injustice. My goal as Board Chair is to continue to build on the incredible work of HOPE to uplift our communities by educating and empowering Latinas, and to lend my experience to amplify HOPE’s advocacy efforts on behalf of Latinas and all underrepresented communities in our state,” said Ms. Cajina.

“As a policy advocate, I know firsthand the work it takes to develop and implement solutions to reduce the economic and political disparities Latinas face. HOPE is an established leader on these conversations in California, and is poised to be a national leader for Latina equity. I hope my term as Board Chair will situate HOPE for growth to reach more Latinas and increase the footprint and depth of our programming,” she added.

Ms. Cajina has been with KP Public Affairs since 2012 and leads the firm’s health care practice. She also has extensive experience in public health, natural resources, including water, and planning and local government, and has carved out a specific niche representing clients with state budget needs. She organizes and leads coalition efforts on some of the most pressing issues every legislative session, and provides in-depth policy expertise using her unique background coming from nonprofit advocacy and direct community service. 

Prior to joining KP, Vanessa worked with nonprofit advocacy organizations to protect and promote critical health and human services programs, including the Western Center on Law and Poverty, the California Immigrant Policy Center, and the Latino Coalition for a Healthy California.

“We’re grateful for the policy advocacy expertise Vanessa lends to the HOPE Board, specifically around healthcare policy and access, a central pillar of HOPE’s advocacy work.   We look forward to being guided by her equity-minded leadership, and to all that she will do to advance HOPE’s mission to ensure economic and political parity for Latinas,” said Helen Torres, CEO of HOPE. 

Ms. Cajina has served on the HOPE board for six years and is an alumna of the HOPE Leadership Institute. She succeeds Rosie Arroyo, Senior Program Officer of the California Community Foundation, whose term as Board Chair ended in December 2022.

About Hispanas Organized for Political Equality (HOPE) – HOPE® is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that has empowered our communities through advocacy, Latina leadership training, and increasing knowledge on the contributions Latinas have made to advance the status of women for the past 32 years. To date, HOPE’s innovative programming has served 65,000 Latinas and touched the lives of several thousand more through our advocacy. For more information on HOPE, please visit Latinas.org or follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter .